St. Paul daily globe., 1887-07-04
1.-THE CATTLE TRUST.
The Present and Future of the Live
"a Stock Business.

III STOCK BUSINESS
I Drovers' Journal.
II, The range men of the Northwest and
Southwest have been suffering from
many severe trials the last few years.
The causes which have brought about
these hardShipS have been many, and
among the principal ones are the follow
ing:
First-Badly overstocked ranges.
SecOnd-Heavy losses caused by eX-
cessively cold winters and severe
drOuthS.
Third-Railway and general labor
strikes.
Fourth The general depression of
trades and industries all over the
country.
Fifth-Quarantin by all the North
ern sections caused by the quack horse
and cow doctors styling themselves vet
Urinary surgeons.
Sixth-Glut and demOraliZed foreign
meat markets. In 1879 and 1880 single
export buyers were shipping from 1000
to 1900 cattle every week. Now they
only ship from 800 to 500 cattle and find
no profit in the business. The pleurO-
pneumonia racket has been the cause of
all this.
Seventh-The heaviest marketing of
beef cattle ever known in a like period.
Eighth-The railroads running east
from Chicago have increased their rate
40 per cent. on live cattle and so per
cent. on dressed beef, making it cost
the producer from S1.25 to $1.50 per
head. The increase is unjust and un-
reasonable, and through the medium of
the interstate commerce commission we
hope this eXtOrtiOn will soon be stopped.
Ninth-Then the OleOmargarine bill
took off 81 to $3.50 head more, making
the enormous aggregate of more than
S15,000,000, and it all comes out of the
producers. To all this it may be added
that some believe the dreSSed-beef ship
perS have had much to do with bring
ing about the present low prices.
With ALI these hardships and depres-
Sions the cattlemen have had about all
they can bear, and they are naturally
locking for some relief. But now, on
top of all these untoward and depresS-
ing agencies, comes the gigantic monopoly
called ''The Cattle Trust company
organized with So-calied capital of
S25, 900. The principal organizers of
this sleek and well-covered scheme are
few cattlemen and dreSsed-beef
of their OverStOcked ranges and ex-
penSive dressed-beef plant and fixtures
at good prices. They have now turned
them into this s'Trust" company, where
they can draw big salaries for trying to
induce other cattlemen to join the great
scheme by turning over their herds and
taking "TruSt" certificates at 25 per
cent. of their SO-called par value in pay
ment therefor.
This great 'sTrust" company is going
to revOlutionize the cattle trade of the
country and relieve cattlemen of all
their troubles and cause cattle to again
sell as high as they did in 1882 and 1888.
Ii Now, see how they are doing it. Since
othiS benevolent society was organized
the price of beef cattle in this market
has declined so cents per 100, equal to
lS6 per steer.
L Their Chicago representative opened
the campaign on the Doth of this month
by selling at auction in Boston two cars
of choice heavy beef at an average of
about 6 cents per pound, being from 1
to IL cents lower than the price of beef
in Boston that day if sold in the custom
larry way. 1t is supposed that this
shrewd representative will follow the
course in other Eastern cities and towns.
lAt these prices we would not want any
of those .tTrust' certificates, even at
the prices at which they are being is
sued-namely: s400 in certificates for
500 in value. No doubt all the cattle
men of the country will be solicited to
turnover their herds to this ''Trust."
We would advise them before doing
so, however, to carefully consider the
matter and decide whether gigantic
'sTrust" company can handle their buSi-
ness better for them than they can
handle it for themselves.
We think better times for cattlemen
are not far distant, and that all those
who keep their herds under their own
control will be in prosperous cOndi-
ton in the near future is our firm be-
liaf